Want to keep cool? Lick your wrists and eat a curry: The unlikely tips and gadgets to help you beat the heat

What can you and your family do to stay cool during the heatwave? CHARLOTTE KEMP presents some surprisingly helpful tactics— and hot new technology.

1. Hot in bed and finding it hard to sleep?

A lightweight silk sheet will help. While pure silk is expensive, it is a breathable fabric, so is worth the price tag. It also has natural hypoallergenic properties, making it an excellent choice for those irritated by the heat.

But don’t worry if you can’t stretch to silk. A light sprinkle of talc on a cotton sheet can help soak up sweat, keeping you chilled all through the night.

Hot in bed and finding it hard to sleep? A lightweight silk sheet will help

2. Ever noticed monkeys licking their wrists? It’s their way of bringing down body temperature.

The same principle applies for humans — but it might be easier just to hold your wrists under cold water for ten seconds. This will reduce your body temperature for at least an hour.

Also blitz other hot spots — the back of your neck, knees and feet — with a cool, damp flannel. Keep the flannel in the freezer and apply whenever you start to feel warm.

3. Choose your fashion accessories carefully in hot weather. A heavy metal necklace will soak up heat that your body will then absorb.

A hot curry or chilli increases body perspiration, which in turn cools the body as it evaporates

4. DON’T avoid curries! Eating spicy foods can actually cool you down. A hot curry or chilli increases body perspiration, which in turn cools the body as it evaporates.

5. Managed to buy an electric fan before they sold out? Good for you. But do you know where to place it for maximum cooling?

As heat rises, the coolest air is at floor level, so put your fan on the floor and point it upwards. To speed up this process, you could also place a bowl of icy water on a small table in front of the fan, so the air blows across it.

7. Got a hot dog? Consider changing its bedding. Synthetic dog beds retain the animal’s body heat, making them even hotter. Consider allowing your dog to lie on tile or concrete floors instead or give them a wet towel to rest on.

If your dog becomes uncomfortably warm, cool its tummy with a cold water bath. Cool Coats for dogs, that you immerse in water before putting on your pooch, can also help (£20.99, Prestige Pet Products).

8. Have you left the TV or Sky box on standby? A surprising amount of heat is generated from appliances around the house, so switch them off when they are not in use.

9. Warm air rises, so if you are really hot in bed, sleep on a mattress on the floor. Also avoid sleeping in a loft room if you can, and instead sleep on the lower floors.

10. Forget ice-cream — cool down with a bowl of yoghurt instead. It has a far higher water content — around 85 per cent — providing instant cool.

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12. Don't ditch your socks completely. Speed One socks, favoured by athletes, are made from a special synthetic fabric that draws moisture away from the skin to keep feet cool and comfortable (£10.79, webtogs.co.uk).

Cool down with a bowl of yoghurt instead of ice cream. It has a far higher water content — around 85 per cent — providing instant cool. Even better, add a slice of cool fruit, such as melon or apple

For an even chillier end to your meal, try a slice of fruit with a high water content, such as melon or pineapple.

13. You needn’t swelter in a suit at work. There is a cool option, thanks to the clever people at Marks & Spencer, who have taken pity on sweaty City slickers.

Made of a lightweight wool-blend, the Superlite suit has a thinner material across the chest plus an anti-odour technology imbedded in the fabric (£224, marksandspencer.com).

14. A daily vitamin can combat sunburn from the inside out. Research suggests that taking a daily dose of the antioxidants vitamin C and E can help prevent UV light- induced inflammation and damage to the skin.

15. Have the children eaten all the ice lollies? Don’t worry — the Zoku Duo Quick Pop Maker (johnlewis.com) can freeze a lolly made from fresh ingredients from start to finish in an astonishing seven to nine minutes. At £37, it’s not cheap — but if it keeps youngsters quiet...

Thank heavens, then, for Sunuva, a range of stylish, breathable, UVA swimwear that protects a child’s skin from burning without the need for excessive sun cream because they leave less skin uncovered than normal. Just apply sun lotion to exposed areas (from £28, sunuva.com).

17. Ever thought a nettle could keep you cool? Many people will suffer from fluid retention in extreme heat, which makes them even hotter and more uncomfortable, says Henrietta Norton of Wild Nutrition.

These minerals help to combat water retention
and poor circulation, helping your body to effectively flush away excess
fluids. Try stewing stinging nettle tips to make an excellent soup or
tea.